Ender's Game Movie blog 2

Trust me to post a blog the day before I listen to Orson Scott Cards post script on the audiobook. Orson speaks a lot on the various attempts Hollywood has made to film ender’s game. It seems that he has been under great pressure almost from the minute he wrote the novel to sell his story out, with most Hollywood industry execs going to some length to try to “improve” the story by making ender 16 so he can have a love interest. This kind of explains similar treatments of other works (I’m looking at you Percy Jackson,) and makes the fact we didn’t get a 16 year old Harry Potter a marvel. As Card says those that think the story can be changed and still work just proved to him to not understand the story. He includes some very interesting anecdotes about execs using questionable tactics, such as agreeing that ender will be played as 11 only to include in a sub paragraph in an unrelated clause of the contract that “casting will be at the studios discretion. This clause invalidates any other condition made in this contract.” And I have to wonder how many adaptations have been spoiled by these tricks being played.

It does seem to me that the film is in good hands having been in talks for a movie for damn near 25 years it seems that he isn’t going to let his story be ruined now. Some over interesting tit bits are that to make the screenplay work he effectively merged enders game and ender’s shadow. This way he could give the film the dynamic it needed. While it’s not necessarily his script that will be used it seemed that at the time of recording it was a good bet that the final screenplay would be his work with a better known screen writer’s name on it.

Ender's Game Movie

Having finally read Ender's Game last year (review here) I'm thrilled to find that a big screen adaptation of it is in full swing. With no less that Harrison Ford playing Colonel Hyrum Graff.

The movie is scheduled for release in March 2013. It will be directed by Gain Hood the helmer of X-Men Origins - Wolverine. Let's hope he doesn't have the same problem with leaks this time.

I'm very excited about this, but can't help but worry. Will they be able to do it Justice? Will the child actors be able to pull off the performances? Will the battle room be truly realised or will we get futuristic paint balling?

I'm going to stay positive until i hear otherwise.

In other Ender news I’m almost finished on the whole saga, I’ve just not got round to reviewing them yet. I'm about to start Ender's shadow which promises to be just as good. I also used my audible credit a few months back to purchase the audiobook of ender's game. All of which will be reviewed when other commitments have vanished.

Book 8/50: Ender's Game

Ender’s game is another of those books that I passed up on several occasions for no real reason. Ender’s Game was written by Orson Scott Card and it was adapted from an earlier novelette of the same name.

Andrew “Ender” Wiggin lives on a Earth that has become massively overcrowded. The people are kept in check by a balancing of three separate power structures. All working together in the face of a common enemy. That common enemy is the Buggers, insectile creatures that have invaded the solar system on two occasions. The Buggers massive superiority was only defeated by the presence of a tactical genius in the right place and the right time. If the human race are to survive the next buggers attack they will need the right person to lead the defence. Ender and his siblings Peter and Valentine are part of a program to find this special tactician. Peter and Valentine were promising but both failed the cut, but due to their promise Enders parents were given permission to have him, a “third” [child] a position that carries great stigma. After a final exam which involves removing Enders monitor and seeing how he deals with persecution at the hands of his class mates, Ender is chosen to attend Battle School. The school were the pilots, officers and soldiers that will fight the next bugger attack are trained. Ender however will receive slightly different training, as Commander Graff believes that Ender is the person they need to lead the whole fleet and they need him now.

I love this novel its hard to put down. Ender is a likable character even though he is often aloof. The sub plots of Peter and Valentines [mis]use of their genius after Ender is taken to battle school, comes to a delicious conclusion. The book deserves the awards it has received over the years and can easily stand toe to toe with other classics of the genre.